levy. several hundred people evacuated. >> the heavy tops with the gutter line, or the rooftops of the home. having a failure here would be cat trophic. >> reporter: our -- catastrophic. >> reporter: today officials took a emergency survey. they said last night was the third highest since the levy was build. >> not certified. not in good shape. they approved a project to start next year to rebuild if. >> reporter: not fast enough for residents who lived through repeated flooding here. >> worried because it is supposed to rain again tomorrow. >> reporter: tonight we learned one of the 7 homes is red tagged. they are staying with family in the area. sand bagging is set to begin any moment now and will continue through the night. coming up at 6:00 p.m., how they hope to save the levy and

what is next here. reporting live, health and science editor john fowler ktvu channel 2 news. crews clearing mud and debris from a sliding hillside in oakland. the pile of mud started coming down this morning and left debris in the street. one lane was closed while crews worked in the area. significant rain yesterday. you saw it coming down hard for a time. these are some of the totals sunday. the rain dumping. almost 3 inches of rain. bolder creek, half foot of rain, 5 inches of rain. redwood city. looks like we will see more showers tomorrow. what i am tracking is this next weather system. nice looking system but nothing like what we saw. it will get in here tomorrow and bring rain.

when i get back, i will break down the timing and we will go through it hour by hour so you can plan out your day. but the showers will be there. see you back here in a bit. and we want to report breaking news to you. these are live pictures from news chopper 2. a number of emergency vehicles on the road, this is highway 84. near 680. and we understand right now we are hearing there are possible injuries in an accident, a head on collision before 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. roads, we understand, have been closed in both directions. look at that. you can see from the headlights this long line of cars that are backed up as a result of this closure. an accident that you can see here happening on highway 84 near 680. that line is going on for

miles. we are hahntering -- monitoring this and trying to get information from officials on the ground. we will bring you more information as we get it. dozens of homes lost water after a water main break in marin county about 9:30 a.m. this morning and sent water pouring on to the streets. officials say at one point the water was gushing at 1,000 gallons a minute. >> it will create extensive repairs to the roadway. probably 4-6 inches of uplifting from underneath. >> water service was cut off to 2 dozen homes in the area. crews had the line repaired by 11:00 a.m. mudslide in oakland prompted an emergency closure this morning. as you can see, caltrans

blocked part of the southbound lanes because heavy rain caused part of that hill to slide down near the freeway. crews reopened it this afternoon. a man pulled over jumped into the creek to get away from police. police pulled the man over, the man got out of his car and then ran from officers. jumping a fence and going into the creek. they searched for him till 4:45 p.m. >> followed for 100 yards trying to encourage him to come out of the water. the officers followed as far as they could. >> the search picked up around 8:30 a.m. this morning but there was no sign of the man. derrick rescue last night daring rescue last night after a truck was pulled into raging water. the truck drifted into the

middle of a creek just after 9:00 p.m. stranding the driver inside and as you can see right here the pilot of a chp helicopter rested on the top of the truck and he was pulled in. officials say a snowboarder has died in an avalanche at 9:30 a.m. this morning. it appeared he may have triggered the slide. authorities haven't released the name. an avalanche yesterday injured two people but they escaped without serious injuries. in new york two firefighters were shot and two wounded when they were called to a house fire. the gunman set the blaze and ambushed the firefighters. the shooter had a long criminal history and had killed before.

>> reporter: cries for help coming as four firefighters respond to a call in new york monday morning. they found flames and gunfire. they were ambushed by shooter. >> it does appear it was a trap that was set for responding, you know, first responders. >> reporter: one of the wounded escaped a second was found conscious. and two others were pronounced dead. >> it is very difficult. people get up to put out fires and they don't expect to be shot and killed. >> the shooting prevented firefighter said from knocking -- firefighters from knocking down the flames. the fire destroyed 7 homes. investigators say the community is no longer in danger. the gunman killed himself on the scene, he had a lengthy

criminal record. >> in 1980 he was charged for killing his grandmother. >> reporter: word of the violence spread quickly through the town. >> i have lived here my entire life, you never imagine something like that happening. >> the timing of the tragedy is not lost on anyone. >> fireman going in to help and this type of outcome where now they will have the holidays, you know, family isn't going to have them, devastating. >> reporter: ktvu channel 2 news. >> the shootings hit home for firefighters here in the bay area. firefighters everywhere know the bond between those who live together, fight fires together. and that it is hard to believe someone would open fire on someone that has come to help them. >> just not something you expect and so, you know, today,

of course, the san francisco fire department, you know, our thoughts are with the families with the department, with those members that were hurt. a tragic turn of events. >> san francisco fire called the shooting a cowardly act. police called in a bomb squad and evacuated a neighborhood after a man injured himself while making a pipe bomb. police were called observe 2:00 p.m. yesterday -- before 2:00 p.m. yesterday. authorities it had to evacuate the area. police say the suspect had burns on his hands and face. he was arrested on suspicion of possession and manufacturing explosive devices. a police officer was shot and killed in milwaukee this morning. investigators say the officer was found around 5:00 a.m.

this morning. police started searching for her two hours earlier after she didn't respond. investigators do not have a suspect or motive. >> thousands of bay area nurses are walking picket lines. [ singing ] >> close to 5,000 nurses at 9 sutter health facilities are holding a one day strike. they say they are striking over health benefits, sick pay and staffing levels. this is the 8th strike. negotiations broke off with the hospital in july. >> they have actually given us what they call a last and final. 100 take aways from our current contract. >> the hospital said they hired

replacement nurses. government and consumer groups turned down an officer from pg&e connected to the san bruno explosion. pg&e refused to admit any safety breaches because it feared criminal charges. critics say they were afraid it could be used against it. christmas in newton, connecticut is a somber one this year. a memorial has been set up to honor those who died in the massacre. people are visiting newton, connecticut to express their sympathy. >> the holidays, my heart reaches out to the families who lost their children. we have four grandchildren, one 6, and it is such a sorrow. you know, hearts are broken. >> there are reports the town

is getting six times its normal volume of mail. the owner of one store said he is taking phone calls offering credit cards to pay for groceries for families. no progress after wrapping up his trip. after talks today with the president the situation was worrying. there was no indication of progress towards a solution for the country's civil war. they say 67 people, including 11 children were killed in violence today. 4,000 have been killed in the past two months. word from hollywood that jack klugman has died. [ music playing ] >> jack klugman may be best known for playing oscar madison

in the 1970s show the odd couple. he starred in quincey me playing a crime solving medical examiner. his son said he died in los angeles, he was 90 years old. santa may be on norad's radar and the shopping goes on. >> and the track, here is a live look. you can see the break lights of holiday commutes commuters -- commuters. look at you guys with your fancy-schmancy

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pope benedict xvi presided over mass tonight. the pope urged people to reflect on how they use their time and he prayed they will find a way to live in peace and asked people to pray for peace.

it ain't over till it is over. same can be said for shoppers. ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us live where the rush is on. tom? >> reporter: it is on. guess what? here at toys r us still 5 more shopping hours till christmas. >> reporter: at the shopping center, no one seemed put off by being among the last that shop today. >> trying to get it over with. you go to work, be finished with all this right here. that is why i am here. >> the truth is i was out a week ago and at the last minute there is fewer people than a week ago. for some the last minute is a big part of the season. >> we already ran into friends and the parents came out from

pittsburgh. great to see them. >> the reason for the season is about jesus' birthday but it is still fun to see people trying to decide what to get. >> reporter: two of the big drivers this year, last minute bargains and the patchular gift card -- popular gift card. >> let's do it. let's move on and do it. >> reporter: coming up at 6:00 p.m., why last minute shoppers say they are really out here. consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. malls around the bay area were filled with last minute shoppers, crowds packed into the shopper center in san francisco. the crowds were strong all weekend long and plenty of last minute shoppers said they were ready to brave the crowds to get the gift. >> i like to consider myself a

4 4th quarter player. i step up down the stretch and that is what i am about, performing at crunch time. >> many offered deep discounts. and are predicting big crowds the day after christmas. the unemployment numbers are all in for the year. the nation unemployment rate declined from last december to 7.7%. the 13 million americans out of work last year decreased to 12 million. a year ago california was 11.2% but dropped to 9.8%. the californians stand at 1.8 million. more people are now looking for jobs and are being counted as

officially unemployment. he says the california work place is changing. >> the direction that employment and work is moving in california, that is towards more contingent work, staffing companies, independent contractors, part time work is the factor, more than the unemployment rate. >> on wall street today, the markets closed at 10:00 a.m. worries over the fiscal cliff pushed stocks lower. dow off 51 points. nasdaq lost 8. s&p down three. what might happen next year if congress doesn't avoid the fiscal cliff. a person earning 50-$75,000 a year would see a hike of

$2,400. gas prices in the bay area and around california are still dropping. that is according to aaa. the trend will continue into the new year. the average price of a gallon is $3.60-in san francisco. san jose $3.49. oakland $3.48. california is reflecting a national trend as demand is low and supplies are high. back to the developing news we showed you earlier. an apparent head on collision had forced police to shut down highway 84. that has now been reopened but as a result of that closure you can see the traffic backup.

this is highway 84 in the livermore area. westbound lanes, severe back up. no word about the injuries, what the conditions are of the people involved in the accident but we are continuing to work the phones and get more details. you can see from our picture here, the incredible traffic back up. if you are planning to be around that area, you might try to take another route. move on to weather now. after yesterday's rain it has been nice to have sunshine. >> it is a break but it is coming back, our chief meteorologist bill martin is here. >> big rain yesterday and tonight the fog is coming back. people are traveling around tonight and tomorrow and the fog become as player and after that -- becomes a player and after that more fog. by tomorrow afternoon it gets in here.

by tomorrow afternoon, rain down to the bay area. heavy rain, not what we experienced. we had a nice dose of storms. tonight at 10:00 p.m. i will give you the updated numbers. amazing. last year in santa rosa, 40% of rainfall average. this year, well over 150% of average. we are doing great. great for snow fall. but there is more rain coming. not a big commute tomorrow but there will be rain on part of the afternoon. we will show you that coming up. over night lows, valley fog will have a shot at reforming. over night lows in the 30s. dew point in the upper 30s. when the air is moist and you get cooling, you get valley fog. we will get it tomorrow morning. and there are high clouds. valley fog the weather headline, especially in the

north bay and east bay. sacramento, south of fresno, santa rosa you will find pockets of it. high clouds moving in and those are in advance of the nether next weather -- of the next weather system. just give you the broad brush here, cloud autunites, patchy fog. tomorrow showers in -- cloudy, patchy fog. tomorrow, showers. this is giving us a good opportunity dry out as the next system lines up. i will see you back here. >> thank you. it was a home coming that has been months in the making. we are there as troops return to the bay area just in time for the holidays. >> the toy drive at lefty

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i feel home sick. i wish i could be with family and friends. time of the year where everybody gets together, enjoys being together. >> u.s. service members in afghanistan are making the most of christmas over seas. there were a few comforts from

home, this is the 12 season u.s. service members are in afghanistan. there are 66,000 troops there. some of the soldiers made it home just in time for christmas. here in the bay area, two service members arrived at san francisco international airport this afternoon. they were greeted by relatives and military welcome holding large military flags. just a few hours left before san francisco holiday tradition wraps up. ktvu's ann rubin has been out as the toy drive at lefty o'doul's is close to meeting their goal. >> reporter: they have got songs over that way, santa over here and a steady stream of people dropping by to drop off

toys and donations so organizers say it is not enough, they will need more people to pitch in if they want to meet their goal. >> one. two. three. >> reporter: today lefty o'doul's looks more like santa's work shop, toys, games, dolls, still the piles should be hire. this is half of what they had last year. >> we are running slow this year for the first time in 12 years. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> reporter: last year they collected 10,000 gifts for the troy program. this year they are hoping to reach 15,000. he wanted to pitch in. >> we decided to get a few things to fill it for the young kids. >> reporter: others are doing drive by donations and more

having theirs picked up. >> i believe in giving back. we decided to give back. >> reporter: soon all of this will be picked up in fire trucks and police cars and distributed to the kids who need it most. >> shows we love one another and there is a lot of joy and spirit, especially in san francisco. [ music playing ] >> reporter: organizers are also short on toys for older kids and teens but there is still time. they will be out here collecting till 2:00 a.m. this morning. live outside lefty o'doul's in san francisco, ann rubin, ktvu channel 2 news. san jose police are out on this christmas eve night and ready to conduct a toy give away for children who could use the support. >> a prime rib lunch, how one church is preparing to feed the hungry.

complete bay area news coverage continues right now, this is ktvu channel 2 news at 5:00 p.m. >> on christmas eve police officer respond to cases of domestic violence or family situations. in san jose tonight police officers there are preparing to give any children involved an extra helping hand. those officers will mix their duties with a toy give away. ktvu's robert handa joins us live from the police department to show us how and why they are going to help. >> reporter: just a couple hours ago the patrols headed out for christmas eve and tonight police are equipped to handle unique situations involving children. >> the supply area for the san

jose police department looked more appropriate for santa's slayings. these toys were donated by dollar stores but they won't be handed out randomly but given to children who need the holiday cheer. >> we are seeing people at their worst. going out to the homes, a lot of domestic violence around the holidays, we see frightened children caught in the middle. >> reporter: officers got a surprise, many of them participated in similar gift give aways on christmas eve before but tonight dollar tree makes it possible for officers to hand out more than individual toys but whole bags. >> bag full of toys, they will have 2-3 brothers, sisters, share them. have fun. >> rewarding to see the look on their face when you hand them a bag full of gifts. these bags were packaged so

some of these presents can be shared with their brothers, sisters. a neighbor. >> officers acknowledge this is a good way to end a bad year. >> looking back on this year people focus on the negative. look at the crime stats, staffing levels, what this is about is really -- nothing to do with that. >> reporter: again, officers plan to hand out bags to children going through stressful situations tonight respect and later they will give -- and later they will give out the rest to children in need. robert handa, ktvu channel 2 news. post offices around the bay area closed at noon today. some people got in ahead of the closure to mail cards and letters. others over nighted packages. post offices will be closed tomorrow for christmas and a week from tomorrow for new

year's day. we have yet another package theft to show you this holiday season. jeff thomas said his surveillance cameras caught this thief taking a package after fedex deliver it. he posted the video on youtube. if you recognize this man or the car police call the san jose police department. a man was wounded in oakland today during a shoot out between people in two weeks about 11:00 a.m. the school was not in session. an assault rifle was left that scene -- at the scene. a man was dropped off at a hospital with multiple wounds. police have no motive and no arrests have in made. a man was arrested for

carrying illegal christmas gifts. police stopped him on friday night on myway 101 for -- on highway 101 for dui. a policeman found marijuana in the car. they found three pounds of marijuana. he is facing charges of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale. thousands of people took part in an annual san francisco tradition, the christmas eve prime rib lunch. ktvu's david stevenson reports, organizers say today is not just about the food. >> reporter: one of the most anticipated days of the year at glide memorial. at this prime rib luncheon they

served up hundreds of lunches. they donated 200 pounds of meat. >> i am very lucky i am healthy. i have a great family. it is our duty to help out other people who are not as fortunate. as a society we have to do that. >> reporter: hundreds lined lined the streets pating for their turn to enjoy a -- waiting for their turn to enjoy a holiday meal. >> we will always be with them, always stand with them. for many, serving others is a family tradition. >> our youngest son, giving the trays out. people out there are really hungry and don't have places to live. >> reporter: they reopen tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast followed by a holiday dinner, including ham

and turkey. in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. a very bright christmas display has neighbors upset. this house in fountain valley has 65,000 lights on and around it and they are synced to music. the homeowner has been ticketed for noise. but it attracts hundreds of people. some of the neighbors want the city counsel to limit the number of lights. >> more appropriate for las vegas. we are not opposed to decorations but it is just very bright, very intrusive. >> the homeowner is sorry her neighbor dos not like the -- nares donot like the -- neighbors do not like display.

george bush is still in the hospital and under going physical therapy to get him stronger. doctors expect a full recovery and nelson mandela also will remain in the hospital tomorrow. nelson mandela, who is 94 years old was admitted for a long infection. a break in the case, the new developments in the bank robbery we told you about last week on caul on -- on ktvu. >> and here is a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, you can see a heavy amount of traffic heading in one direction. the interstate is packed. we will be right back. hey, look! a shooting star!

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police arrested a suspect in a bank robbery that occurred last week. they arrested him saturday in san francisco at his apartment. news chopper 2 flew over the branch last thursday after he held it up. he was wanted for the robbery

and two other outstanding warrants. a cell phone tower worker was left dangling in the air for half hour, this happened yesterday in washington. the man slipped out of his harness. a co-worker held on to the man till firefighters arrive. they got a ladder to him and he climbed down to safe. three people in indiana entered a plea of not guilty. they are held on charges of murder and arson for a blast that destroyed 5 homes and damaged dozens more. prosecutors say they planned the explosion to collect an insurance payment. instagram has been hit with the first lawsuit over his proposal to change its terms of services. in a lawsuit filed on friday a

user leveled breach of contract and other claims against the company. they say they believe the complaint is without merit and will fight it. last week they said they were backing down from a plan to change how users photos can be used. a unique special delivery rolls out, a bay area holiday tradition where the main stop is san quentin prison. >> back here, we got the latest model, fog for the morning and showers for your holiday, when they get here and how long they will last. w do you do that?

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today thousands celebrated christmas eve in bethlehem in manger square. over the site where chestians believe -- christians believe jesus crist was born and there was a midnight mass. special presents delivered on motorcycles. the destination? the visitors center at san quentin prison. we went along for the ride as we put the holiday in focus. >> started 13 years ago. sitting in the kitchen, a first run every month. they decided it would be a good idea to bring toys to the children of san quentin

inmates. >> i am very grateful i can do this for these kids. >> overwhelming. i cried last year. [ laughter ] >> a lot of us have been locked up, spent time in san quentin, for me to go back and give back is amazing. first time 20-30 riders. last year we had 350 bikes. the best moment of the toy run is the moment when all the bicycles coming up the -- bikes coming up the hill. they hear the roar of the bikes. they know santa claus is coming. get to see the kids' faces. >> merry christmas. how are you? >> merry christmas. how are you? >> i am so excited. >> i can't stop smiling.

wait. let me try. no, no. >> thank you for coming. >> some kids don't get christmas because their fathers are inside so this is sometimes their only christmas. >> do you love santa? >> yeah. >> we love you too. >> we all got hearts. we all want our -- especially the kids, have a chance at life. [ singing ] >> they don't ask for much, they just want to be loved. very emotional. the kids are terrific. beautiful kids. they steal your heart. >> thank you, merry christmas! >> very good. good job. >> that story brought to you by greg. see the story and more tomorrow

right here on ktvu and watch it on 7:00 p.m. on kicu, steve 36. the air force awarded a contract to space x. if successful the launch monopoly would be broken. the company has a contract with nasa for resupply missions to the space station. the fate of california saved a quarter million dollars by requiring legislators to use their own cars. starting last december california stopped leasing cars for lawmakers. it now pays them mileage for their own cars. they drove fewer miles when using their own cars cars and 23 did not put in for the reimbursement. volcano has people service

in two countries. smoke and ash is billowing in chile. the pressure inside the mountain is probably decreasing but they say an eruption is still possible. people are on red alert. the volcano last erupted 20 years ago. over to bill who has been looking at the changing weather conditions that we have been seeing. >> it is going to be changing. fog and showers tomorrow afternoon. stay tuned. it will be a wet day tomorrow. and it will have an impact on your driving tomorrow morning. the system is well off shore. you can see it is still 600 miles off shore. but it does get here tomorrow and that means rain in the

forecast. will it be as intense as yesterday? no. that was a big deal yesterday. the flood warnings and advisories. maybe an inch of rain in the heavier locations. today was a nice day, nice chance to dry out. tomorrow, the afternoon rain shows up, nice looking weather system but not this monster. although with the hillsides saturated there could be landslide activity. just because the ground is so wet. we will be watching it. the model does this, tomorrow morning, cloudy. tomorrow afternoon, 2:00 p.m., santa rosa showers. 5:00 p.m., showers move through the bay area. you are noticing how quickly

this is going. shouldn't hang up. it will keep going. wednesday morning we are done with the showers. mountains, foot and a half of new snow up there. fresh snow. wednesday evening, not bad. fog is an issue again thursday morning and friday morning. fog tomorrow morning, clouds increase. after lunchtime, showers develop. highs tomorrow, low 50s. system is not unusually cold. five-day forecast with your bay area weekend in view, keeps us dry. it is nice to have -- after tuesday to have the nice break because things are wet. rain and flooding so a chance to dry out is a big deal. >> thank you. they are off, how many people are expected to travel

today and a big surprise for south bay kids. >> you can watch our newscast lives, ktvu ipad app, ready to done load, news, traffic and video of breaking news, anytime, anywhere. well, well, well.

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120,000 passengers were expected to pass through san francisco international airport today. despite the crowds friday december 21 was the busiest day of the holiday travel season for san francisco international airport. 130,000 passengers. >> picked the 24 was it was $250 less than saturday and -- or sunday and tuesday. so it is -- it was a good choice to do it. >> operations were smooth at sfo. over the weekend it was another story. dozens of delays and cancellations. hundreds of people turned out for a last minute chance at a christmas treat. >> tamales are a christmas tradition among some. in san jose the line at the factory on white road stretched

out the road and down the block. many people to leave the cooking to someone else. the cooks did their best to keep up with demand. christmas eve was brighter for some kids today. they handed out toys and 50s to about 60 children. it was a surprise for the kids and organizers. >> they called us and said we want to spend christmas eve with your families. they were able to collect toys. >> in addition to handing out gifts they took photos with their fans. we are monitoring the situation where a snowboarder has been killed in an avalanche. that is coming up in 2 minutes. >> plus it is not your typical

holiday display, christmas silicon valley style.

a dramatic rescue on bay area waters. >> and time is running out for shoppers,